Device for dispensing pressure sensitive tape incident to the application of the dispensed tape to a surface



Sept. 27, 1955 c. 'K. ROBBINS 2,718,924

DEVICE FOR DISPENSING PRESSURE SENSITIVE TAPE INCIDENT TO THE APPLICATION OF THE DISPENSED TAPE TO A SURFACE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 31, 1953 fidezzr v 5%6224Z95 yo Sept. 27, 1955 c. K. ROBBINS 2,718,924

ICE FOR DISPENSING ESSURE SENSITIVE E INCIDENT CATION OF DISPENSED TAPE A SURFACE THE APPLI Filed March 31, 1953 beets-Sheet 2 Hz/e 72 2 07'" a 77a; .faz'zzs.

United States Patent DEVICE FDR DISPENSING PRESSURE SENSITIVE TAPE INCIDENT TO THE APPLICATION OF THE DISPENSED TAPE TO A SURFACE Charles K. Robbins, Burbank, Calif.

Application March 31, 1953, Serial No. 345,925

7 Claims. (Cl. 164-47) 1 This invention relates to devices for carrying, applying and severing pressure sensitive tape whereby packages and the like may have tape applied thereto directly from the supply.

In taping large surfaces or packages with the use of pressure sensitive tape, the practice heretofore has been to pull off the desired length of tape from a fixed supply source and then taking care that the tacky surfaces of the tape do not contact each other, carry the length of tape to the package or surface to be taped and apply it thereto. The present invention contemplates taking the supply of tape to the point of use and to dispense it directly from the supply roll to the surface to be taped and then to cut it from the supply when the desired length has been so dispensed and adhered to the surface.

With the foregoing considerations in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a manually dirigible device capable of freely, rotatably supporting a roll of pressure sensitive tape from which the tape may be dispensed directly to a surface to be taped and including a manually operable, normally retracted .tape

severing means so disposed as to be effective to sever the tape from the supply roll at the point at which the taping operation is discontinued.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tape dispensing device of the foregoing character in which the tape severing means is constructed and arranged to utilize a razor blade of a type in general use and therefore readily available. V

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the foregoing character in which the tape dispensing and severing operations may be accomplished by one hand of the user leaving the other hand free to turn or otherwise manipulate the package or the like being taped.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a manually dirigible tape carrying, applying and severing device characterized by the use of a normally housed, manually projected tape severing blade.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a tape dispensing and applying device in which the foregoing objectives are realized in practice, which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and reliable in use.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with such additional objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in the parts, and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, disclosed, by way of example, in the following specification of one mode of execution of the invention; reference being had to the accompanying drawings which form a Fig. 2 showing the tape severing blade extended for use,

Patented Sept. 27, 1955 Fig. 4 is a view generally similar to Fig. 2 with portions broken away and with the parts arranged for removal and replacement of tape severing blades,

Fig. 5 is a transverse medial sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 6 is a transverse, sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4, and

Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are semi-schematic views showing a progression of steps in the use of the device in applying a length of tape to the surface of a package.

Referring to the drawings, the illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a base member 1 formed of a strip of sheet metal bent at about its mid length to form a roll and handle supporting portion 2 and a cutting mechanism supporting portion 3 disposed at an obtuse angle to the portion 2 as shown in Fig. 1. A yoke member 4 extends at right angles from the face 5 of the base portion 2 at the inside of the obtuse angle; said yoke being attached to the base portion by any suitable means as, for example, by a pair of rivets 6, 6. The free ends of the yoke are provided, respectively with a bore 7 and a threaded hole 8 in axial alignment and a bolt 9 having a wing head 10 extends through the bore 7 and threadedly engages the hole 8 for demountably supporting a freely rotatable tape roll carrying means comprising a pair of bushings 11 each, in turn, carrying a spool element 12 of a size to tightly engage the interior of the cylindrical base B on which is wound a roll of pressure sensitive tape T. The spool elements fit their respective bushings sufficiently tightly so that they can be shifted axially thereof to accommodate different widths of tape rolls with the ends of the bushings disposed in close adjacency to the inner faces of the arms of the yoke member 4 as shown in Fig. 2 to maintain the tape roll at about the center of the yoke member. A handle 13 having a non-slip hand grip covering 14 is mounted on the base member 1 at the side of the portion 2 thereof opposite the yoke member 4; said handle comprising a strip of metal having one end reversely bent as at 15 and attached to the free end of the portion 2 of the base member by a rivet 16 and thence extending at a slight diverging angle to a point in the plane of the outer surface of the portion 3 of the base member and thence continuing in a straight portion 17 in said plane along the portion 3 of the base member and being attached thereto by a rivet 18.

Slidably mounted on the outer face of the base member portion 3 is a cutter bar 19 comprising a sheet metal member having a thumb engaging portion 20 disposed above the plane of the hand grip portion 14 of the handle and thence continuing in a shallow, inverted U-shaped portion 21 overlying and slidably guided by the outer face of the portion of the handle lying in the plane of the base portion 3. The cutter bar extends almost to the free end of the base member portion 3 and atthe end thereof opposite the thumb engaging portion 20 it terminates in a Wide, blade supporting portion 22. The free end of the base member portion 3 is provided with a guide member 23 which extends over and at both sides of the cutter bar portion 22 to afford guidance for the cutter bar and, as will be later described, to hold the cutting blade on the cutter bar. A tension spring 24 having one end attached to the base member portion 3 and the other end attached to the portion 22 of the cutter bar tends constantly to maintain the cutter bar in retracted position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The distal end 25 of the cutter bar portion 22 is disposed at an acute angle to a line extending transversely of the said portion 22 and adjacent to said end is provided with spaced, struck out lug elements 26, 26 spaced slightly inwardly from the side edges of said portion 22 and in a line extending parallel to the end edge 25. Theselug portions 26, 26 are of a size and are spaced apart a sufiicient distance to engage the side edge notches 27, 27 of a safety razor blade 28 of a type generally available on the market, and the portion 22 of the cutter bar is further provided with a centrally disposed struck out lug 29 positioned to engage the reinforced back 30 of the razor blade. The clearance between the inner face of the guide member 23 and the outer face of the reinforced back 30 of the razor blade 28 is maintained sufficiently limited to prevent the razor blade from becoming disengaged from the lugs 26, 26 while housed therein. The U-shaped portion 21 of the cutter bar in the portion thereof overlying the handle portion 17 is provided with an elongated longitudinally extending slot 31 terminating at the end thereof adjacent the thumb engaging portion in a narrowed portion 32. Extending through the slot and threadedly engaging the portion 17 of the handle is a thumbscrew 33 provided with a head 34 having a cylindrical portion 35 closely fitting the slot 31 and a shank portion 36 fitting within the narrowed portion of the slot 32. When the thumb screw 33 is screwed down with the under side of the head engaging the outer face of the handle portion 17 the movement of the cutter bar is limited to the extent permitted by the slot 31 or between the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 3 in which the razor blade is never completely out of the confines of the guide member 23. When it is desired to replace the razor blade, the thumbscrew 33 is unscrewed sufficiently to bring the under face of the head 34 thereof above the outer surface of the cutter bar permitting the cutter bar to be extended beyond the guide member 23 sufficiently to permit the exchange of blades as shown in Fig. 4 after which, the spring 24 is allowed to retract the cutter bar and the screw 33 again tightened to restrict the cutter bar to the range of movement permitted by the slot 18.

In use, assuming that a roll of tape is mounted in the device, the starting end of the tape is pulled from the tape roll and applied to the surface to be taped as for instance, the side of a package P as shown in Fig. 7. The device is then pulled away from the starting end as shown in Fig. 8 until the desired length of tape is pulled off. Then the device is tilted until the cutter bar is in a vertical position as shown in Fig. 9 and brought down along side the opposite side of the package as far as the pulled off length of tape will allow, the outer surface of the guide member 23 serving to press the tape against the package. The cutter bar is then moved forwardly by pressure on the thumb engaging portion 20 with resultant projection of the blade 28 and severing of the tape. Since the blade is disposed at an angle, the cutting action will be progressively across the tape and therefore, relatively little eifort will be required even with very heavy tapes such as those having a glass fiber or other extremely heavy backing. Upon release, the spring 24 will retract the cutter bar to the extent permitted by the slot 31 with resultant housing of the blade 28 within the guide member 23. It is particularly to be noted that the cutting action is achieved in very close proximity to the end of the required length of tape. The foregoing use is merely by way of example and it will be appreciated that in many cases the package will be turned until the tape goes completely around it before the severing action is employed. Also, in cases, the tape will be applied to a single flat surface rather than around a corner as illustrated. It will be appreciated that the device can be manipulated to sever the tape close to the finishing end regardless of the position of the surface to which the tape is applied.

I claim:

1. In a manually dirigible device for dispensing pressure sensitive tape incident to the application of the dispensed tape to a surface, a base member formed from a flat strip of sheet metal bent adjacent its mid-length to form a first portion carrying a tape roll supporting means at one side thereof and a handle at the opposite side thereof, and a second portion extending at an obtuse angle to said first portion, and a reciprocable tape cutting means carried by the outer face of said second portion of said base member including a reciprocable cutter bar extending longitudinally of said second portion having a tape severing blade at one end thereof and a member at the other end of said cutter bar disposed in close adjacency to said handle and positioned for operating engagement by the thumb of a user holding said device by said handle.

2. In a manually dirigible device for dispensing pressure sensitive tape incident to the application of the dispensed tape to a surface, a base member formed from a flat strip of sheet metal bent adjacent its mid-length to form a first portion carrying a tape roll supporting means at one side thereof and a handle at the opposite side thereof, and a second portion extending at an obtuse angle to said first portion, and a reciprocable tape cutting means carried by the outer face of said second portion of said base member including a reciprocable cutter bar extending longitudinally of said second portion having a tape severing blade at one end thereof, a member at the other end of said cutter bar disposed in close adjacency to said handle and positioned for operating engagement by the thumb of a user holding said device by said handle, means effective to limit the extent of reciprocation of said cutter bar, and spring means normally effective to maintain said cutter bar in retracted position.

3. In a manually dirigible device for dispensing pressure sensitive tape incident to the application of the dispensed tape to a surface, a base member formed from a flat strip of sheet metal bent adjacent its mid-length to form a first portion carrying a tape roll supporting means at one side thereof and a handle at the opposite side thereof, and a second portion extending at an obtuse angle to said first portion, and a reciprocable tape cutting means carried by the outer face of said second portion of said base member including a reciprocable cutter bar extending longitudinally of said second portion having a tape severing blade at one end thereof, a member at the other end of said cutter bar disposed in close adjacency to said handle and positioned for operating engagement by the thumb of a user holding said device by said handle, a manually engageable operating member at the other end of said cutter bar, a combined blade housing and guide member at the distal end of said second portion of said base member, spring means normally effective to maintain said cutter bar retracted with said blade positioned within said housing and guide member, and means operative to limit the extent of reciprocable movement of said cutter bar.

4. In a manually dirigible device for dispensing pressure sensitive tape incident to the application of the dispensed tape to a surface, a base member formed from a flat strip of sheet metal bent adjacent its mid-length to form a first portion carrying a tape roll supporting means at one side thereof and a handle at the opposite side thereof, and a second portion extending at an obtuse angle to said first portion, tape severing means mounted on the outer face of said second portion of said base member including a cutter bar guided for reciprocation longitudinally of said second portion of said base member, a combined blade housing and cutter bar guiding member at the distal end of said second portion of said base member extending above and at both sides of said cutter bar, a detachable, tape severing blade carried by the distal end of said cutter bar, spring means normally effective to maintain said cutter bar in retracted position with said blade housed within said guide member, and a member on said cutter bar positioned in close proximity to said handle for operating engagement by the thumb of a user holding said device by said handle with resultant projection of said blade from beneath said housing and guide member into tape severing engagement with a bight of tape extending from the tape roll to a surface to which it is adhered.

5. In a manually dirigible device for dispensing pressure sensitive tape incident to the application of the dispensed tape to a surface, a base member formed from a fiat strip of sheet metal bent adjacent its mid-length to form a first portion carrying a tape roll supporting means at one side thereof and a handle at the opposite side thereof, and a second portion extending at an-obtuse angle to said first portion, tape severing means mounted on the outer face of said second portion of said base member including a cutter bar guided for reciprocation longitudinally of said second portion of said base member, a combined blade housing and cutter bar guiding member at the distal end of said second portion of said base member extending above and at both sides of said cutter bar, a detachable, tape severing blade carried by the distal end of said cutter bar, spring means normally eifective to maintain said cutter bar in retracted position with said blade housed Within said guide member, a member on said cutter bar positioned in close proximity to said handle for operating engagement by the thumb of a user holding said device by said handle with resultant projection of said blade from beneath said housing and guide member into tape severing engagement with a bight of tape extending from the tape roll to a surface to which it is adhered, and means for limiting the extent of reciprocating movement of said cutter bar.

6. In a manually dirigible device for dispensing pressure sensitive tape incident to the application of the dispensed tape to a surface, a base member formed from a flat strip of sheet metal bent adjacent its midlength to form a first portion carrying a tape roll supporting means at one side thereof and a handle at the opposite side thereof, and a second portion extending at an obtuse angle to said first portion, and a reciprocable tape cutting means carried by the outer face of said second portion of said base member including a reciprocable cutter bar extending longitudinally of said second portion having a tape severing blade at one end thereof, a member at the other end of said cutter bar disposed in close adjacency to said handle and positioned for operating engagement by the thumb of a user holding said device by said handle, a manually engageable operating member at the other end of said cutter bar a combined blade housing and guide member at the distal end of said second portion of said base member, spring means normally effective to maintain said cutter bar retracted with said blade positioned within said housing and guide member, and means operative to limit the extent of reciprocable movement of said cutter bar; said movement limiting means being constructed and arranged for adjustment to permit movement of said cutter bar for a distance greater than required for tape severing action with resultant movement of the cutting blade beyond said housing and guide member for removal from said cutter bar and replacement of another blade.

7. In a manually dirigible device for dispensing pressure sensitive tape incident to the application of the dis pensed tape to a surface, a base member formed from a flat strip of sheet metal bent adjacent its midlength to form a first portion carrying a tape roll supporting means at one side thereof and a handle at the opposite side thereof, and a second portion extending at an obtuse angle to said first portion, and a reciprocable tape cutting means carried by the outer face of said second portion of said base member including a reciprocable cutter bar extending longitudinally of said second portion having a tape severing blade at one end thereof, a member at the other end of said cutter bar disposed in close adjacency to said handle and positioned for operating engagement by the thumb of a user holding said device by said handle, a manually engageable operating member at the other end of said cutter bar a combined blade housing and guide member at the distal end of said second portion of said base member, spring means normally effective to maintain said cutter bar retracted with said blade positioned within said housing and guide member, and means operative to limit the extent of reciprocable movement of said cutter bar; said movement limiting means being constructed and arranged for adjustment to permit movement of said cutter bar for a distance greater than required for tape severing .action with resultant movement of the cutting blade beyond said housing and guide mem ber for removal from said cutter bar and replacement of another blade; said blade comprising a safety razor blade provided with notches in the end edges thereof, said cutter bar having means interengaging with said blade, and said housing and guide member additionally serving to hold said blade on said cutter bar during tape severing operations.

References Cited in the file ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,235,704 Gorbatekno et al Mar. 18, 1941 2,452,584 Luebkeman Nov. 2, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 712,414 Germany Oct. 18, 1941 

